


something that's much more important than sadness

by Bara_no_Uta



Series: Finding Meaning in [E]ternity [16]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, Families of Choice, Healing, Post-Ending E (NieR: Automata), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27571300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bara_no_Uta/pseuds/Bara_no_Uta
Summary: “And that’ll be a twist. Instead of naming ourselves after flowers, we’re naming the flowers after ourselves.”That one confused 2B. “Naming ourselves after flowers?”Oh, right. 2B didn’t really know anyone in the Resistance well besides Anemone and Jackass, did she? “It seems to be a thing. In fact, the only android with a name I’ve ever met whose name isn’t a flower is Commander, but I bet there are flowers with ‘white’ in the name anyway.”“…Jackass?”A2 shrugged. “Okay, maybe her and Commander both. I dunno. But I’m pretty sure Jackass named herself, anyway. I mean, can you imagine a leader saying, ‘Your new name is Jackass’?”A small giggle spilled from 2B’s lips, surprising even her.---For the first time, the five of them spend time together just hanging out as a group. It can be bumpy at times as they all adjust to everything that has changed and everything they've been through, but slowly, they're building something new.
Relationships: 2B & 6O (NieR: Automata), 2B/A2 (NieR: Automata), 6O & A2 (NieR: Automata), 9S & 21O (NieR: Automata)
Series: Finding Meaning in [E]ternity [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892593
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	something that's much more important than sadness

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, I reference at one point all the Resistance members' names being based on plants/flowers, so I wanted to clarify that this is true. While this story takes YoRHa version 1.2 as its pre-game canon, this has so far been true of every single Resistance member that has ever appeared. Even the ones that don't seem that way at first glance -- Shion means Aster, Erica is actually a type of flower too (more commonly known as Heather I think?), and Sonia likely pertains to "Sonia Dendrobium Orchids."
> 
> And actually, Jackass is almost certainly a reference to the Jackass clover. But that's a very obscure plant imo, and it was hard for me to imagine that androids who didn't even know what a toothbrush was would be familiar with it! As for why White (Commander) and Black (from Shounen YoRHa) are the literal only named androids who are not named after plants, I would love to know that answer myself. (Popola and Devola are also not named after plants, but Devola and Popola are their model types, like 2B or 9S, not their individual names. Same for Accord I think.)
> 
> Anyway, this chapter kind of ran away with me! Honestly, it was originally meant to be a sweet and fluffy piece, but...

“9S?”

The tentative note to her voice and the way her hands fidgeted slightly told him that whatever she was about to bring up, she was feeling hesitant about it. That wasn’t like her at all. Concern quickly began to bloom in his chest as he turned, giving her his full attention. “What is it?”

“I was wondering if… you would like to join us at the garden tomorrow? I thought you’d like to see the plants that are sprouting…” She tried to make the offer sound as appealing as she could, worried he might outright reject the suggestion and refuse to give A2 a chance if she led with that.

Ordinarily, he would be quite excited about the suggestion and brighten immediately, but it was obvious there was something more to this. He just couldn’t figure out what. She said ‘join _us_ ’… presumably, 6O would be there, since it was her garden. …That’s right, 2B had told him that it was A2 teaching 6O how to grow things… His expression soured. “A2 will be there, right?”

Internally, she cringed at the way his expression soured as he put the pieces together. That was definitely not a good sign. “…Yes. I thought maybe 6O, A2, you, me, and 21O could all spend some time together. If you’re okay with it.”

“Is A2 okay with that?” He still needed time to sort out his feelings, but it kind of surprised him that A2 was open to that. Not just because of his own presence, although A2 hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to talk to him, but more so because he had gotten the impression that aside from 2B, A2 was pretty much a loner. Five people was a pretty big group for someone who had spent so much time alone, wasn’t it?

Perhaps the fact that he was being considerate of A2’s feelings in this was a good sign. She hoped that was the case. “Yes.” She wanted to tell him that A2 wanted to get to know him, but that felt rather personal, so she decided to leave that for A2 to share when or if she wished.

He sighed. “I know that she was doing the only thing she could, but whenever I see her, I remember…” He had thought on a few occasions of asking if he could have his memory wiped and just forget witnessing 2B’s death, but he knew that would hurt 2B immensely, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

2B’s shoulders slumped, because she understood that pain all too well. Not wanting to be reminded of something that hurt intolerably… Wasn’t that only natural? And yet, she wanted to believe it was something they could overcome.

Ah, crap. He hated seeing her look so disappointed and guilty. In order to help her not feel that way, he would face those memories head on. “It’s hard, but I’ll try.”

That surprised her. It didn’t occur to her that 9S might do that for her sake, so she was somewhat puzzled about what would have made him change his mind. But he seemed sure of his decision, so she decided not to question it. Her body relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun! I bet you and 21O would love to hear more about the different plant species and her simulated memories, right?”

2B wanted so much for them to be happy and get along. There was no way he could deny her that. “That’s true. I was wondering about those before, and I know 21O loves hearing about old world culture…”

She felt almost victorious at the prospect of 9S and A2 getting along. And at least A2’s simulated memories were something that she didn’t seem to mind talking about – rather, they seemed to bring her calm and joy. Even if she had already heard a lot about those simulated memories now, it always was nice to see A2 relaxed and happy.

The next day, all five gathered together in the garden. 9S, 2B, 6O, and 21O arrived as a group, all living close together, and A2 arrived shortly after.

“‘Morning,” she greeted them, trying to hide her slight unease. Here she was on her own, while the four of them knew each other so well already.

“Good morning!” 6O greeted with a bright smile. Truthfully, while she knew that A2 and 9S seemed to avoid each other a bit, she had no idea why or just how awkward this situation was for both of them.

But 2B was aware. Knowing that 9S had the support of 21O, she moved to stand beside A2, wanting her to know that she wasn’t alone.

A2 felt herself relax slightly at 2B’s proximity. Something about her presence made A2 feel safe… Was that because of love, or just because they seemed to understand each other so well? Either way, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Meanwhile, noticing the action, 9S and 21O raised their eyebrows while 6O just looked amused.

21O was the first to get the conversation flowing. “So the ancient humans used to grow their flora in enclosed fields like this?”

That helped A2 relax as well. It was a topic she knew a fair amount regarding, and it also wasn’t something personal or otherwise uncomfortable to talk about. “Sort of. Based on my simulated memories, the fauna was different back then. Sometimes birds or other small animals would eat some of what was grown, but farmers also grew a lot more than this, since seeds were easier to come by.”

“Fascinating.” Her eyes sparkled with interest as she thought about the implications of this. It was different from the life of the city-dwelling humans she had learned about, who she was pretty sure didn’t have enough space to grow something like that. She wished that she had simulated memories. There were so many things she wished she could know about old world culture, and at least that would give her a few answers. “And every android before our generation had these memories? Why did they discontinue them? What other kinds of memories did people have? How were they installed?”

9S smirked, seeing that she was in that nerdy research-oriented mode again. He could relate in some ways, but that was different; as a Scanner model, it was part of his design to be curious about things. It was much more unusual for an Operator model to enjoy learning so much that she researched things in her spare time. Of course, nowadays, their designations hardly mattered…

A2 was a bit overwhelmed by the rapid questions. “Can we… try that again, one at a time?”

“Oh, sorry. I just get excited to learn about what the ancient humans’ lives were like.” She seemed embarrassed for having gotten so excited about it. “Did every previous generation have simulated memories?”

A2 shrugged. “I think so, but I don’t really know. And for all I know, it’s only YoRHa who don’t have them anymore. Other models might still.” After a pause, she realized a potential problem and added, “But that doesn’t mean you should ask other people about their memories. Not everyone’s memories are good ones that they want to talk about.” She had learned that during her time with the Resistance. Until then, the only simulated memories she had known the contents of had been her own… and maybe Seed’s, but she still didn’t know what had been the truth in that regard. But she still remembered hearing Marguerite’s story, and she could see Anemone bristle when she mentioned simulated memories.

21O considered that. “What was the purpose of these memories?”

“The idea was that giving us different ‘past experiences’ would diversify our behavior on the battlefield, possibly helping to make androids evolve.” Or at least that’s what Rose had said. Until that point, she had always thought it was just to make them more like humans, considering how much of their physiology had little other reason to be the way it was.

9S panicked for a second as he realized that no one had told 6O or 21O yet that that was the true reason for YoRHa’s existence. He wanted some way to communicate it to A2, but he didn’t know how to do that without tipping them off. Instead, he shot a look at 2B that he hoped was successful in communicating that he wanted her to try to let A2 know this or change the subject.

At first, 2B didn’t understand why 9S was suddenly giving her that look, and her first response was to look behind herself. As soon as she ascertained that nothing was behind her, though, realization dawned on her that he had probably just realized that they hadn’t told either Operator about the secret knowledge the three of them now had. She nudged A2 and gave her a meaningful look.

A2 caught the look and was puzzled, trying to figure out the implication. _Wait… could 9S and 2B have not told them yet?_ That would explain the look, and a glance at 9S’s concerned expression was probably in support of that guess. Were they not _going_ to tell them? A2 felt that they had a right to know. Still, maybe that was a conversation that she shouldn’t be a part of, given that she was an outsider to the group.

Unfortunately for them, the thing that they failed to recognize in all of this nonverbal communication was that even if they weren’t saying anything with their words, it wasn’t as if 21O or 6O lacked functional vision circuits. 21O crossed her arms and looked at 9S like a stern mother. “9S. Something you’d like to share?”

He grimaced. It was a valiant effort to keep them from finding out, but maybe he should have just gone with it and hoped nobody said anything that gave it away. “Uh… Can I say no?”

“You can, but then I’ll ask 2B and A2.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. He sat down, 2B and A2 following suit as they understood the weight of the conversation that was about to unfold, and then 21O and 6O more reluctantly as they wondered what exactly all of this was about.

2B bit her lip. A part of her was glad to know the truth, because she didn’t like to be in the dark or be lied to, but a part of her felt that she might have been happier if she hadn’t found out. The latter part of her wondered if it was really in their best interest to tell them at all. That went especially for 6O, who she knew had been close to the Commander. Without Commander being here to defend herself, it was hard not to draw the obvious conclusion: she had lied to all of them, and had been a part of this plan to use them. It threw every show of compassion into question, even if 2B personally suspected there was more to the story than they were presently aware of.

A2 saw the tension in 2B’s body and reached over to offer her hand. Maybe it was lacking in subtlety, but they had already agreed that they planned on telling everyone today anyway.

Gratefully, she accepted A2’s offer. Holding her hand helped 2B ground herself and think about it more clearly. “I wasn’t sure if it would be better to tell you or not. It’s a lot to take in, and… sometimes I wish I didn’t know.”

9S had never heard her voice that, but it didn’t come as a surprise. He felt guilty for not knowing and not being able to support her more, although… he had noticed that it seemed 2B was going to A2 for support these days. On some level it made him feel inadequate, since he had known 2B for much longer, but on another level he recognized that the feelings 2B held toward A2 were in a completely different category from how she felt toward him, even if 2B had yet to confirm this observation.

A2 gently squeezed 2B’s hand, but regarded 6O and 21O as she spoke. “Just remember that the YoRHa is in the past. Now, we all have the opportunity to choose our own paths.”

Anxiety was written across 6O’s expression. She had no clue what kind of information they could be about to share, but whatever it was, they were making it sound extremely ominous. She tugged lightly at the ends of her hair, wondering how 21O looked so calm.

9S took a deep breath, and out of consideration for the increasing sense of dread he could tell both of them were experiencing – even if 21O hid it much more successfully – he decided to rip off the bandage. “YoRHa was a big experiment. We were meant to evolve, have our data collected for future models of androids, and then be disposed of. That’s why the virus was able to infect the Bunker on that day. A backdoor was installed on purpose that was going to open eventually, so that the machines would destroy us all.”

Seeing the shock in 6O’s expression, 2B pulled away from A2 so that she could sit beside her, placing a hand on 6O’s shoulder.

Meanwhile, 21O’s eyes showed a myriad of conflicting emotions, and yet her face gave little away. She surmised, “Because the machines were always evolving and the androids weren’t.”

“…Yeah,” he confirmed.

A2’s hand curled into a fist as she tried to hide how alone she felt in that moment. Memories of finding out about this in the server room crashed over her, but she didn’t want to take 2B’s focus away from 6O, who she felt needed the reassurance more than she did.

In the silence, 9S wondered if he should also tell them about humans having already gone extinct. It felt wrong to hide it from them at this point, but he could see that this piece of knowledge was already distressing for them. “There’s something else you should probably know, too.” He waited, giving them an opportunity to tell them if they would rather not hear anymore bad news right now. “There are no humans on the moon. That whole thing was orchestrated so androids would have a reason to fight the machines.”

21O blinked. As YoRHa in particular, all of them felt the programming that told them they should be loyal to humans. For her in particular, one of the things that had given her hope was that they would see a day after the war, when they could live side-by-side with humans and lead lives of their choosing. The latter part it seems had come true, but the former was apparently an impossibility. “That’s why you didn’t join the Resistance.”

“Yeah. The war is over. There’s no reason for us to fight anymore, just to preserve their memory.”

“Then why have we been fighting all this time?! If humans don’t even exist… there was no reason…!” Fury filled her as she thought about all the times she had had to ‘meet 9S for the first time.’ All the times he had forgotten her. All the times 2B had had to kill her best friend with her own hands because he had learned too much. There was no reason for any of it?!

This was too much for A2. She got to her feet. “I’m going to take a walk,” she announced abruptly, her back already turned. Anything to stop the flood of memories.

2B’s expression was pained as she looked between 6O and A2. If it was just the three of them, maybe she could suggest that A2 stay and hold both their hands, but with 9S here, she was sure that A2 didn’t want her emotions to be seen more than could be avoided. But… as much as she wanted to be there for A2, she also wanted to be here for 6O.

Seeing 2B’s internal dilemma, 6O offered her a weak smile, placing her hand over 2B’s and moving it off her shoulder. “Go. I have 21O and 9S. She needs you, right?”

2B knew that 6O wasn’t especially close to 21O or 9S, and wouldn’t find their presence as reassuring as hers. But she also knew that 6O at least had someone, and if she let A2 walk away, then A2 would be completely alone. She gave 6O a quick but tight hug. “Thank you.” With that, she ran after A2.

A2 put some distance between herself and the rest of the group before leaning against a tree trunk, her back to them. There, she tried to focus on the things she could feel in her environment. The tree trunk against her back, the grass under her feet, the breeze against her skin… That was something Anemone had taught her, after having noticed it seemed to help. A2 reached back to run her hand against the course bark of the trunk, trying to let the texture calm her.

When she heard footsteps, she whirled around on high alert, but relaxed when she saw it was 2B. “Doesn’t 6O need you?”

“Both of you need somebody. She told me she would be okay with 21O and 9S so you wouldn’t be alone.” She drew A2 into a hug.

She reciprocated the hug tightly, pressing her face into 2B’s shoulder. She felt guilty, but she was also deeply grateful that 2B had come for her. “I—I already knew all of that, obviously; it’s just… remembering when I found out about YoRHa being an experiment. In the server room, right before No. 4…”

2B held her close. Truthfully, she knew that the only reason she wasn’t struggling with the topic right now herself was because she was more focused on 6O and A2, who seemed to be taking it harder than she was. Maybe later, when everything had calmed down, she would talk her own feelings over more with A2 if it was still on her mind.

“I didn’t want to put you in this position, so I tried to stay. But it got to be too much,” she confessed.

“That’s okay.” She gave her a gentle squeeze.

The feeling of being in 2B’s arms had a way of calming her much more successfully than anything else. She allowed herself to focus just on the feeling of her body against 2B’s, pressed close enough to even feel the soft rise and fall of her chest with each breath.

2B waited, giving her time. She often didn’t know what words were helpful in a situation like this, but feeling the tension gradually fade from A2’s body as she held her was a reassuring confirmation that at least she was able to do something. As she did, she reflected on how far A2 had come in the past year. Sure, she still got overwhelmed with her memories, but it was nothing like the very first time 2B had see it happen, where A2 had harshly pushed her away and then put herself in danger on purpose. It seemed like even when these memories came up, she was finding herself better able to handle them.

And truthfully, that gave 2B hope. She still tried her best not to think about the mission she had been given during her time in YoRHa, but if A2 could work through the pain of her past… maybe it would be possible for her, too.

A2 stayed put, giving herself time to calm down. She was starting to feel better, but still felt vulnerable when she thought about going back after leaving so abruptly, and she definitely didn’t want to talk about anything YoRHa-related right now. “Do you think they’re done talking about that?”

“I’m not sure. If you want to check, we can.”

She exhaled slowly. “Maybe. I’m not sure. I’ve had enough of those memories for today.”

2B ran a hand through A2’s hair on instinct, and heard her give a soft sigh of contentment. Encouraged by that, she continued to stroke her hair.

She wished she could stay like this, where she felt safe. As she began to calm, another important fact came back to her mind. When the conversation had first started, 2B had been in need of support, but then she ended up supporting everyone else instead. “How are you doing, talking about all this?”

As much as part of her didn’t want to talk about it, another part of her was moved that A2 cared enough to remember that and check on her. “It’s easier when I have other things to focus on, like being there for you guys, instead of having to think about… that.”

A2 nodded, understanding. “I’m the last person who has any right to talk about running away from your feelings. But… I have noticed that talking about it with you, and mourning them like Anemone suggested… it has gotten easier. A little bit.”

“You’re brave, being able to do that,” 2B said, fully aware of the unspoken implication that she was not brave enough.

“You’re brave too. It took me years to be able to face this. Without you and Anemone, I probably still wouldn’t have. It’s okay if you’re not ready yet.”

2B’s hand stilled its motion through A2’s hair. “A2?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.” She felt weak for it, but the panic that was spiking in her chest refused to allow her to sit with this conversation a moment longer.

A2 pressed a kiss to 2B’s cheek. “Okay. We don’t have to. Why don’t we take a walk, and then join the others if we feel up to it?” She knew that if they continued to stand here, 2B’s mind was likely to continue circling back to exactly what she did not want to talk about, so a distraction seemed more appropriate.

“That sounds perfect.” Recognizing as well that she needed a distraction, 2B was relieved that A2 understood what she needed. Sometimes there were downsides of both of them having such similar experiences, like when one of them had her own memories come up while trying to support the other, but at times like this, it was also an asset.

Hand in hand, the two started to walk aimlessly around the city ruins.

“I had an idea,” A2 said, initiating the change of subject. “Since we don’t really know what any of these plants are, I bet that we could ask Devola and Popola. They might not know all of them, but they might know some of them, especially the edible ones.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. It’ll give us a lead on what we’re supposed to call them at least. And I know 9S has been spending a lot of time in the Tower’s library with 21O lately, so he might come across information on that too.”

“If all else fails, we could make up our own names for them,” A2 said with a playful smile. “I would have to make sure that we found the prettiest flower so we could name it 2B.”

The praise made her feel as though her face was overheating. “B-But if the prettiest one was named 2B, what would we name A2? We’d have to find something even prettier…”

A2 laughed, releasing 2B’s hand just long enough to intertwine their arms. The particularly comical thing about it was the fact that aside from their hair and outfits, the two were basically identical. Even if she never thought about it that way, she knew it to be true. “How about we call it the Type 2 flower, then?”

Catching on to the joke, that got an amused smile out of 2B, too. “That sounds perfect.”

“And that’ll be a twist. Instead of naming ourselves after flowers, we’re naming the flowers after ourselves.”

That one confused 2B. “Naming ourselves after flowers?”

Oh, right. 2B didn’t really know anyone in the Resistance well besides Anemone and Jackass, did she? “It seems to be a thing. In fact, the only android with a name I’ve ever met whose name _isn’t_ a flower is Commander, but I bet there are flowers with ‘white’ in the name anyway.”

“…Jackass?”

A2 shrugged. “Okay, maybe her and Commander both. I dunno. But I’m pretty sure Jackass named herself, anyway. I mean, can you imagine a leader saying, ‘Your new name is Jackass’?”

A small giggle spilled from 2B’s lips, surprising even her. “I suppose not.” Idly, she wondered how many other named androids A2 had met. Well… she mentioned a ‘Futaba’ and a ‘Yotsuba’… ‘sprout’ and ‘clover’… And A2 had mentioned knowing some other Resistance members. Did they have names too? She wanted to ask, but she decided against it. Both of them had had enough painful memories for one day, so she didn’t want to make A2 remember that mission when she didn’t have to.

Admittedly, she was already thinking about it anyway. Remembering the promise she had made with Rose, to receive names at the conclusion of the mission… “You know, if you wanted a name, I bet Anemone would give you one.”

She considered that. It hadn’t occurred to her, but she trusted A2 knew Anemone well enough to be correct in that. On the one hand, it _would_ be nice not to be constantly reminded of her designation and the reason she had been created. In some ways, perhaps it would feel helpful in creating a new start. But on the other hand… “Maybe someday, when I feel like I’ve put… all those things behind me more.”

A2 nodded in understanding. “Speaking of, how do you feel about heading back to the garden?”

She thought about it. “I feel ready to. Do you?”

“Yeah.” They turned to start heading back to the garden. “I’m looking forward to telling them that we’re together. It’s nice to have friends to celebrate with when something good happens.”

2B smiled, putting her free hand on A2’s arm which was intertwined with her own. “If we go back like this, we may not need to tell them in words.”

“This does seem like more than I would ever do with, say, Anemone,” A2 acknowledged. The idea of walking like _this_ with any friend other than 2B just seemed very strange.

“I wouldn’t mind telling them like this. 6O and 21O could probably use some good news, right?”

She agreed that 6O and 21O would see it as good news and be happy for them, but she wasn’t so sure 9S would share that happiness. He might, since she knew he wanted 2B to be happy, but… Well, actually, based on what she knew of him, A2 would be surprised if he hadn’t already figured it out. “That’s true.”

Even so, as they approached the garden, A2 paused. “It… feels kind of weird for them to see this, actually.”

She supposed it was rather different from the image A2 tended to present. 2B let go of her. “There’ll be time to hold hands later.”

“Absolutely.” She started to move slightly away, but paused and gave her a kiss first.

2B smiled, finding that she enjoyed kissing more than she would have ever anticipated. “And more time for that too, I hope.”

A2 laughed, enjoying the times they were able to have lighthearted conversations like this. “Definitely.”

When they approached the garden, they heard 6O describing to 9S and 21O one of the plants that they had taken the seeds from, the three of them sitting next to the field.

Hearing their approach, 6O stopped mid-sentence and brightened, smiling with relief to see both of them return in such good spirits.

“Hey. Sorry about earlier,” A2 said, taking a seat next to 6O.

6O shook her head. “We all need a friend sometimes! I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

A2 smiled. “Anyway, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Oh! Right.” It almost seemed like she had forgotten what she was saying. With a sheepish smile, she returned her attention to 21O and 9S and continued her explanation.

Once 6O had finished going through all of the plants that she hadn’t yet told them about, with 9S taking photos of what they looked like as sprouts and making notes about each of their full-grown equivalents, 2B spoke up. “By the way, A2 and I had something we wanted to share with you all today.”

21O looked puzzled, while 9S kept his expression carefully neutral and 6O looked between the two of them with excitement.

2B looked at A2, who offered a smile and held her hand. It felt more right to her for 2B to break the news, since she knew all three of them so much better.

“A2 and I are girlfriends.”

6O squealed and pulled both of them into a group hug. “I knew it! I’m so happy for you!”

Neither of them were used to such displays of emotion, 2B even tensing a bit at first, but soon they both hugged her back.

“Congratulations,” 21O said, trying not to let them see her giving 9S a concerned look. She really was happy for them, but she also knew this was likely not easy for him to hear.

9S forced a smile. “That’s great. I hope you two are happy. Hey, 21O, weren’t we talking about looking at some plants in the Forest Kingdom today? We should probably do that before it gets too late.”

2B faltered, unsure why 9S was making such a sudden escape. Maybe it was because he didn’t trust A2 to support her sufficiently? But if he needed space, she would allow 21O to be the one there for him and talk about it later if he wanted to.

“…Right, we should go, then,” 21O agreed. She gave an apologetic look to the rest of them. “It was enjoyable to all spend time together, despite the earlier revelations. I hope we can do this again sometime. And A2, I’d love to hear more about simulated memories.”

A2 offered a reassuring smile. “Definitely, some other time.”

With that, the two of them left.

Just 2B, A2, and 6O remaining in the garden, A2 raised an eyebrow as she looked at 6O, who had pulled away from the group hug. “You said you knew that 2B and I were girlfriends? That only happened yesterday.”

6O smiled. “I knew you two had feelings for each other. The way you look at each other and always are finding excuses to touch each other… It’s so romantic!” She put her hands over her chest to emphasize that.

The two of them looked at each other, amused, although it wasn’t like she was incorrect in her observations.

“So tell me everything! Who confessed to who? How long have you known you were in love with each other? Have you gone on a date?”

A2 laughed as she and 2B started to take turns answering her questions. Knowing that at least one of 2B’s closest friends was happy for them… knowing that she had friends she could share these thing with… it made her feel light. She and 2B were planning on telling Anemone later today, too.

She hadn’t healed yet from her past. At least, not completely. But at times like this, surrounded by people who she cared about and who cared about her in turn, A2 felt like maybe… this was a new beginning.


End file.
